The ruddy quail-dove is a medium-sized dove, around the same size as a common pigeon. Males and females have different feather coloring; males have rust-colored feathers on their bodies that are darker on the head and wings and lighter on the bellies and undersides. Females are patterned similarly but are more olive-gray instead of reddish-brown. Both males and females have pink legs and a pink beak, and a light-brown stripe across their face underneath their eyes.

The ruddy quail-doves are 9-10 inches (23-25 centimeters) long, weighing around 4-5 ounces (110-140 grams), or roughly the weight of an apple.

They can be found in woodlands, tropical forests and shady farms. Their range extends from Central America and the Caribbean into tropical South America. Vagrants are sometimes seen in Florida and Texas.

Their song sounds like a mournful "cooo," repeated several times and often sung while perched among tree branches.

In their natural habitat, ruddy quail-doves forage for food by walking stealthily on the forest floor, searching for fruit, seeds and insects.

These birds tend to be solitary, but pair up when raising hatchlings. 

When they are ready to lay eggs, females will build a bowl-shaped nest made of twigs and leaves, which they place in a tree or a flat stump. Females lay about two eggs per clutch, and males and females take turns incubating the eggs until they hatch after about 11 days. Both parents help feed the babies, who can eat up to 22 times per day when they are first hatched! A day or two after the first pair of hatchlings leaves the nest, the female will lay another pair of eggs, and both parents will begin raising a second set of babies.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists their conservation status as Least Concern. Some local populations may be at risk due to habitat loss, environmental degradation and lack of food availability in their range.